Russian Monday: "Sladkay Bulochka" - Cinnamon Chocolate Pastry Wheels

Sweet, buttery, laced with chocolate and fragrant with cinnamon, these beautiful twisted wheels is easy to prepare and you can serve them with a chilled glass of milk or some hot coffee or tea.

Buns are pastry of usually round or oval shape. We all love buns since childhood – sweet buns with raisins, poppy seeds, jam, cheese,  sesame buns, French buns, Vienna buns, from bakery shop or home-baked. They are perfect with tea or coffee on your weekday or your holiday table. Buns are widely loved and very popular in Russia. There are many recipes, but I would like to share with you my own one. I think this recipe fits fall season perfectly; cinnamon and chocolate complement each other in it creating unique taste.

For more Russian recipes, visit Russian Cuisine page.


K.E.Makovskiy (1839-1915)



Makes: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (275g) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 6 Tbsp. (85g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 Tbsp. dry active yeast

For the filling:

• 5 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2-3 oz semisweet dark chocolate (60% Cacao), coarsely chopped
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast and a sugar over the milk and let stand for about 5 minutes, or until foamy. Whisk the melting butter and egg yolk into the yeast mixture. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment, combine the flour and kosher salt. Add the yeast-egg mixture and mix on low speed and mix until smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, about 2-3 minutes. Butter a large bowl. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times until smooth. Place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour or longer (it will depend upon how warm your house is).

Preheat the oven to 395°F (200°C).

In the small bowl combine all the ingredients for the filling and set aside.

After an hour take the dough and divide in to 8 equal parts. On a well floured surface, roll out each dough ball to a 5″ circle. With a brush spread the filling mixture on the dough, covering all of the surface in a thin layer. Roll into a log and cut lengthways into half. Now take the 2 parts and twist together and form into a round. Make sure you reveal the cut side up. Repeat with all dough balls. Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment baking paper. Cover with a cloth and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Brush with the remaining cinnamon-butter mix and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 395°F for around 5-7 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 345°F and bake for another 10-12 minutes until nicely browned. Dust with powdered sugar and serve for breakfast or afternoon tea.